Detroit Lions Q&A: Ryan Broyles talks about stalking his future wife when he was 16

ALLEN PARK -- Detroit Lions receiver Ryan Broyles has yet to play this season as he recovers from a torn ACL.

But all signs indicate he's likely to be activated for his first action Sunday against Washington. That's a timely return for Broyles, as starting receiver Patrick Edwards isn't expected to play with an injured ankle.

MLive caught up with Broyles ahead of his expected debut for this week's Q&A, where he talks his knee, his wife, his high-school stalking and the one question he never wants to hear again:

MLive: Besides the paychecks, what's the coolest thing about being in the NFL?

Detroit receiver Ryan Broyles is expected to play this week for the first time since sustaining an ACL injury last year.Associated Press

Ryan Broyles: It's been a lifelong dream for a lot of guys in here, so that's probably the coolest thing. Making it to this level, being able to compete against the best.

MLive: That's kind of boring. You're going to have to do better.

Broyles: Well, I can take some nice vacations. I want to travel the world with my wife, so we got some vacations planned.

MLive: What's the coolest place you guys have been?

We've been to Europe. Went to Rome, went to Paris for our honeymoon. This coming year we're going to China. We're going to Beijing and Shanghai and Hong Kong. We've been to Florence. It was cool going to Paris.

MLive: Do you speak any foreign languages?

Broyles: When I get there I like to try to learn. So I've been to Haiti a few times and can speak a little Creole. Once you leave it, though, it goes away. But when you go back, it kind of comes back. I can understand some words.

MLive: What's something you can say in Creole?

Broyles: "Sak pasé." That's "what's up." That's one way to start a conversation.

MLive: What's the coolest road trip you've made so far for the NFL?

Broyles: Well we don't get to see much. We're kind of in and out. But when we went to Philadelphia last year, drivin' in, there was just a vibe that I liked. Kind of an older feel, the buildings were just beautiful to me. We usually stay in the heart of cities, so there's restaurants around. So everywhere we go, we try to go out.

MLive: I think fans romanticize a lot about life on the road as a pro athlete, but it does seem like you guys are in and out pretty quick. What's it like on the team plane?

Broyles: We bus into the back of the airport -- which is probably the coolest thing, because we don't have to go inside. We just hop on the plane, get some nice food and find our place on the plane. Subway sandwiches. If it's the morning time, we get breakfast burritos and good stuff like that. Got the chips and the candy bars. It's a good setup.

MLive: Where do you sit?

Broyles: You know how in school, you always kind of go to the same seat? It's kind of like that. It's the same thing on the plane. I sit by (linebacker) Travis Lewis.

MLive: What's the funniest thing that's happened on a team plane?

Broyles: On the way there, it's pretty low-key. Like I said, it's a business trip. But after, if we win, guys are dancing and doing all kinds of crazy stuff. We got some crazy guys -- (safety) Louis Delmas is probably the craziest guy.

MLive: I can see that.

Broyles: He has no censor man.

MLive: I don't want to know what that means. How about, what's your favorite pickup line?

Broyles: [laughing] You must be tired -- you been runnin' through my mind all day.

MLive: That's actually worked?

Broyles: Nah, man. I'm not that kind of guy. I don't have that kind of imagination, but I've heard some corny stuff out there. And I think the corny stuff works.

MLive: Your wife's name is Mary Beth, right? What was your guys' first date?

Broyles: Man, I was 16 years old. This was a long time ago. I don't think we've had a first date, really. I would just go to her house the first couple weeks and feel things out, especially at that age.

MLive: I bet you were chaperoned.

Broyles: You kidding? Of course. You're in the living room with the parents and brothers. They liked me though.

When I met her, that was my first, like, 'I cannot let her go.' I was 16 at the time. I always knew I'd never had that feeling with anyone from the first time I saw her. I kind of stalked her for a couple weeks. So I felt like I actually knew her before I actually knew her. We joke around about that story all the time.

MLive: What story's that?

Broyles: Well I used to stalk her -- like, for real. I was an office aide, I was a junior and she was a freshman, and whenever I saw the class number I knew she was in there. That was second hour, and I went in there every day (to deliver messages). It never failed. My heart melted every time I went in there -- I'd be, like, shaking going in there. I'd glance at her, then give the teacher the pass.

MLive: So you were basically coming up with excuses to stalk her?

Broyles: Well the office ladies knew I liked her, so when they said the class number, I'd always get it.

MLive: If there was a zombie apocalypse, which teammate would you want to help fight off the dead?

Broyles: Rodney (Austin), man. He's a beast. He's on the scout team, but if he was in a game, he'd run everybody over. He's not scared of anybody. He's just not scared of anything. He's the one who starts us on offense. He's the one who says the cadence. He brings the energy.

MLive: C.J. Mosley said last week that Rodney would win the team hot dog eating contest too, so at least you'd have that going for you guys.

Broyles: No doubt. Rodney would win, too.

MLive: If you could trade in your football talents for any other talent, what would it be?

Broyles: You know what, I'd want to trade with a successful businessman. That really intrigues me -- the finance field. I've done a lot of research, read some books. Some people don't like Donald Trump, but I think what he came with, what he had, and what he's built it to now, I think that shows the kind of drive he has. So a guy like that, with that kind of drive, it might not always be for good reasons, but to have his drive would be cool.

I want to go back to business school. Go back to OU and go into business. I actually started out going into business, but football just took my life, so I couldn't really do both of those at the same time. It's definitely something I want to get into.

MLive: Got a million-dollar idea?

Broyles: I've got a couple app ideas.

MLive: Like?

Broyles: Why would I tell you that?

MLive: I'm paid to try.

Broyles: I know man. The thing is, think about Twitter for instance. It launched in 2005, nobody was really on it. Then it got like one popular person to do it, and now everyone has it. With the position we're in ... if someone like Calvin Johnson touches it, it's like gold and everyone gravitates to it. Maybe something like that would be cool.

MLive: You've been a star your whole life, and answered a million questions along the way. What's the one question you're sick of hearing from dudes like me?

Broyles: 'What percent are you?' With my knee, you know. That's been the story ever since I made it to the league. And man, I'm out here practicing every day, you know? I love this sport. I'd play at 50 percent, I'd play at 30 percent. That's just the question. You see me out at practice.